Film cartridge

ABSTRACT

A cartridge is adapted to handle a length of film or other strip material wherein the material has a portion with an opening therein between the side edges of the material and preferably near the trailing end portion of the strip. In the preferred embodiment described the cartridge is loaded with motion picture film to be exposed in a camera and includes two openings or apertures for receiving camera apparatus adapted to advance film through the cartridge. One of the apertures receives a film pulldown claw in a camera, the claw being effective to intermittently advance film past the exposure aperture in the cartridge. The other opening or aperture receives a capstan, for example, which is adapted to continuously advance film past a sound head in the camera for recording of sound onto the film during a filming sequence. During the normal filming sequences the film is advanced by the claw and the capstan along a first curved path through the cartridge between the two apertures and, when the end of the film is reached by the film pull-down claw and it is ineffective to further pull film past the exposure aperture, the film then is advanced along a second path through the cartridge by the capstan only. A stop member in the form of a finger is provided in the cartridge along the second path and is positioned so that the finger can enter the opening in the film and be engaged by an edge of the opening, thereby securing the film against further advancement along the second path and through the cartridge by the capstan. This prevents advancement of the trailing end portion of the film completely past the apertures and into the take-up chamber of the cartridge, thereby permitting film to be extracted from the cartridge for processing by grasping the trailing end portion of the film and advancing it through the exposure aperture.

United States Patent Primary Examiner-Samuel S. Matthews AssistantExaminer-Alan Mathews ABSTRACT A cartridge is adapted to handle a lengthof film or other strip material wherein the material has a portion withan opening therein between the side edges of the material and preferablynear the trailing end portion of the strip. In the preferred embodimentdescribed Miller 1 51 Jan. 15, 19

[ FILM CAR R G the cartridge is loaded with motion picture film to [75]Inventor: Stephen H. Miller, Rochester, NY. exposed m a cawem andmdufjcs two Opcmngs or ertures for recetvmg camera apparatus adapted toi 1 g Eastman Kodak p y, vance film through the cartridge. One of theapertt ROChcSlcr. N.Y. receives a film pulLdown claw in a camera, the c[22] Filed; 28, 1972 being effective to intermittently advance film pastexposure aperture 1n the cartr1dge. The other oper PP 5 or aperturereceives a capstan, for example, whic adapted to continuously advancefilm past a 501 52 us. c1 352/78 R, 242/197. 352/29 head F mmding 15111111. c1. ..G03b 23/02 mm a mmmg scquem- Durng 158 Field of Search352/72, 78, 159, filming sequemcs mm is advanced by claw the capstanalong a first curved path through the i trtdge between the two aperturesand, when the em 1 [56] References cued thefgilntr is rtearfshettrl1 bythfi ff'tllm pullgdgwn claw and 1 me ec we 0 ur er pu 1m pas e exposurea; UNXTED STATES PATENTS ture, the film then is advanced along a secondp Egan u through the artridge the capstan only A S 2 133 slockdalcm 95/3CA member in the form of a finger is provided in the c "1 3 l jofgcnscn242/95 tridge along the second path and is positioned so 1 H969Winklcr... 352/29 h r h h n d b 3,655,!45 4/1972 Olsen 242/197 t emgerca" enter Pcmngmt c c gaged by an edge of the opening, therebysecuring film against further advancement along the SCC( path andthrough the cartridge by the capstan. 'I prevents advancementof thetrailing end portion the film completely past the apertures and intotake-up chamber of the cartridge, thereby permitt film to be extractedfrom the cartridge for process by grasping the trailing end portion ofthe film and vancing it through the exposure aperture.

2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures FILM CARTRIDGE CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATEDAPPLICATIONS Reference is made to commonly assigned copending U.S.Patent Application Ser. No. 63,879, entitled FILM CARTRIDGE FORPREVENTING THE END OF A FILM STRIP FROM .ENTERING A CARTRIDGE CHAMBER,filed Aug. 14, 1970 ,in the name of W. L. Stockdale, now U.S. Pat.No.,3,6 95,l60, issued Oct. 3,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field Of The Invention This inventionrelates to cartridges or cassettes of the type adapted to receive andhandle an elongate strip of web material and, more specifically, theinvention rewhich is positionable in a camera for advancement of thefilm by a claw or other drive member in the camera to sequentiallyexpose portions of the film strip to scene light. Cartridges of thesuper 8 type are disclosed in commonly assigned U. S. Pa t. No.3,208,685 issued to E. A..Edwards et al on Sept. 28, 1965 and entitled,Anti-Friction Disc for Strip Material Cartridge and U. S. Pat. No.3,208,686 issued to E. A. Edwards et ,al on Sept. 28, 1965 entitled,Film Cartridge.

' It also 'isknown to modify such super 8 film cartridges to provide forsound-recording on the film in the cartridge, such being disclosedv inU. S. Pat. No. 3,442',5 80 issued to A. Winkler on May 6, 1969 andentitled, Motion Picture Camera or Projector for Film with Sound Track.As disclosed in the latter patent, an intermittent film pull-downmechanism advances film in a frame-by-frame manner past an exposureaperture in the camera, and a capstan drive continuously advances filmpast a sound recording head spaced from the exposure aperture. Thelatter patent also discloses detent means that are engageable with thefilm any time it is taken out of a camera to hold the film againstmovement through the cartridge. However, this detent means does notprevent or stop advancement of the film by the capstan drive when all ofthe usable film has been exposed at the exposure aperture. As a result,the trailing end portion of the film can be advanced into the take-upchamber of the cartridge by the capstan and a drive coupled to the filmtake-up. This requires .thatthe film cartridge be cut open for removalof ex-' posed film from the take-up chamber prior to processing of theexposed .film. While this film-removal method is satisfactory, it issometimes desirable to extract film from the film cartridge through theexposure aperture for film processing. For example, removal of filmthrough the exposure aperture is desirable when the film is to beprocessed in apparatus of the type disclosedin commonly assignedcopending U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 126,979, filed Mar. 22,1971in the names of Cumbo et aland entitled Film Processing Apparatus. Inorder to extract film through the exposure aperture the anti-backupmechanism commonly 2 utilized in super 8 film cartridges for preventingclockspringing of film in the cartridge must be disengaged, and such canbe effected in the manner disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat.No.3,550,877 issued to R. C. Sutliff et al on December 29, 1970 andentitled Cartridge andMethod for Removing Film from a Car tridge, or inthe manner disclosed in the copending U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.229,924, filed Feb.

28, 1972 in the name of Archie J. Tucker, entitled f DisengageableAnti-Backup Device for Film Cartridge, refiled on Jan. 12, 1973 asContinuation-in- Part patent application Ser. No. 323,019.

In film cartridges as disclosed in the aforementioned Edwards et alpatents provision is not made for a capstan drive as well as a pull downclaw. In such cartridges the trailing end portion of the film remainsaccessible at the exposure aperture after all usable film has beenexposed due to a cut-out provided in the trailing end portionof thefilm-in the area at the side of the filth where perforations normallyexist so that when the film claw reaches the cut-out portion of the filmit is no longer effective to advance the film and the trailing end ofthe film remains in the exposure aperture even though the claw maycontinue to operate. While this is satisfactory for stopping film in theexposure aperture for such cartridges, it is not satisfactory forcartridges of the type disclosed in the before-mentioned U.S. Pat.

No. 3,442,580 since continued operation of the camera causes film to beadvanced by the capstan drive mechanism, thereby pulling the end of thefilm past the exposure aperture and permitting it to be taken up intothe take-up side of the cartridge. The present invention preventsadvancement of the trailing end of the film into the take-up chamber ofthe cartridge of a sound film cartridge where the film is advanced byacontinuously operated capstan drive between the claw and the take-upside of the cartridge.

In the before-mentioned commonly assigned copending U.S. PatentApplication Ser. No. 63,879, filed Aug. 14, 1970 in the name of W. L.Stockdale and entitled Film Cartridge for Preventing the End of a FilmStrip from Entering a Cartridge Chamber," a projection is disclosed forengaging an opening in the film strip to stop the film before thetrailing end thereof is wound completely into the take-up chamber of acartridge of the type having spaced supply and take-up compart mentsinterconnected by a wall, such being commonly used for still orphotographic cameras. In this type of cartridge, however, film is notsubjected to the continuous driving force of a capstan or the like whichcontinues to drive film away from the exposure aperture after all of theusable film has been exposed. Other prior patents of interest includeU.S. Pat. Nos. 2,559,892 to Mihalyi et al.; 2,409,605 to Bolsey; and2,629,302 to Mihalyi.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Among the objects of the present invention, isthe provision of a strip handling device, such as a film cartridge ofthe type described, which is adapted to be advanced by two separatedrive members and wherein provision is made for stopping the strip withone end portion thereof in a predetermined position.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved filmcartridge, such as a super 8 film cartridge wherein apertures areprovided for a film claw for intermittently advancing the film throughone portion of 3 the cartridge and wherein an aperture is provided for aconstant drive mechanism for continuously advancing the film pastanother portion of the cartridge, and wherein provision is made forstopping movement of the film by the constant film drive at a particulartime so that a portion of the film strip remains exposed at one of theapertures, thereby to facilitate withdrawal of film through thataperture for processing of the film or for other reasons.

The present invention relates to a cartridge for handling a length offlexible strip material (such as film) wherein the material has aportion with an opening therein between side edges of the material. Thecartridge is usable with apparatus engageable with the material in thecartridge through cartridge apertures positioned at'two spaced locationsfor advancing the material through the cartridge. Means are provided inthe cartridge defining a first path and a second path for strip materialthrough the cartridge between said apertures. Projecting stop means onthe cartridge is located along the second path and inspaced relation tothe first path so that the strip material is engageable with theprojecting means when the strip material is advanced along the secondpath. The stop means is positioned relative to the side edges of thestrip material as it advances along the second path and has a widthrelative to the opening in the'strip material so that when the openingin the strip material is moved along the second path the stop means canenter the opening and be engaged by an edge of the opening. This securesthe strip material against further advancement along the second path.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects andadvantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilledin the art from the following detailed description read in conjunctionwith the attached drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate likeelements and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a film cartridge of the invention andillustrates a portion of a motion picture camera adapted to receive thecartridge;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective of portions of the cartridgeillustrated in FIG. 1 showing the intermittent and constant speed filmdrives of the camera and illustrating two paths for film between suchdrives;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the lower portion of the cartridge shownin FIG. 1 showing certain portions of camera mechanisms relative to thecartridge and film and illustrating two different film paths through thelower portion of the cartridge;

FIG. .4 is a view similar'to FIG. 3 but showing the camera mechanismsretracted so the cartridge can be withdrawn from the cameraand showingthe film engaged by the cartridge stop means;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating the member forStopping the film in the cartridge;

FIG. 6 is a view of the trailing end portion of a film strip such as canbe used in the cartridge of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view from the bottom of the cartridge showingthe stop member.

DESCRIPTION OFTHE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Because photographic apparatusare well known, the I ments forming part of, or cooperating moredirectly with, the present invention, apparatus not specifically shownor described herein being understood to be selectable from those knownin the art.

Referring now to the drawings, a cartridge incorporating features of theinvention is generally designated 10 and is adapted to be received in acartridge compartment or chamber 12 provided in a suitable camera, aportion of which is shown generally at 14. The camera is provided with asuitable film advancing member, such as the claw 16 (FIG. 2) which isdriven in a generally rectilinear path for intermittently advancing filmpast an exposure aperture (not shown) in the camera. In the lower wall18 of the cartridge compartment 12 an opening 19 is provided to admitcertain portions of camera apparatus used for effecting sound recordingon the film F in the cartridge as it is being exposed to scene light inthe camera. This apparatus can include a capstan 20 having a wide groove20a which receives the film. A movable pressure roller 22 is urgedagainst the capstan so that rotation of the capstan in the directionshown in FIGS. 2 and 3 effects rotation of the roller. The axes ofrotation of the capstan and roller are located relative to each otherand to the film path across a cartridge aperture 24 so that a lineconnecting the axes is disposed at approximately 30 to a second linethat is perpendicular to the film path across aperture 24 and passesthrough either axis. As shown in FIG. 3, the film engages a segment ofthe surface of roller 22 so that when the roller is rotated by thecapstan the film is advanced from the exposure aperture past a soundhead or transducer 23 (FIGS. 3 and 4) positioned between the capstan andthe exposure aperture. A movable pressure member 25 (FIG. 3) urges thefilm sound track against the sound head, and a pair of spaced movablefilm guides 27 at opposite sides of the sound head guide the filmbetween the sound head and member 25. A movable loop sensor 29 canengage the loop of film between the exposure aperture and the soundhead, thereby sensing the length of film therebetween. Normally, thereshould be eighteen frames separation between the exposure aperture andthe sound head. The loop sensor can be connected to suitable means (notshown) to control the film claw so that the desired separation ismaintained within acceptable limits. The camera sound apparatuscomprising roller 22, pressure member 25, film guides 27 and sensor 29are movable by means (not shown) between the position shown in FIG. 3wherein they are located for recording of sound onto the film andanother position shown in FIG. 4 wherein they are retracted beneath wall18 of the cartridge chamber to facilitate loading and unloading of acartridge into the camera.

The sound apparatus is received in an aperture 24 in one side 26 and thelower end of the cartridge, the other side 28 and the ends 30 and 32 ofthe cartridge being substantially closed so that other parts of thecartridge are light-tight. A shroud 33 is shown in the chamber 12 in thecamera. The shroud enters aperture 24 as the cartridge is loaded intothe camera and facilitates accurate positioning of the film relative tothe camera sound apparatus. Wall 28 of the cartridge and end walls 30and 32 extend below the aperture 24. As shown in FIG. 1, end wall 32 ofthe cartridge has an exposure aperture 34 therein through which the filmis exposed to scene light. The portion of the cartridge above aperture24 is preferably substantially the same as the film car- US. Pat. Nos.3,208,685 and 3,208,686, the disclosure of such patents beingincorporated herein by this reference.

After the film passes the capstan 20 it is wound onto a take-up core 36(FIG. 1) in the take-up chamber of the cartridge. As is well known inthe-art, the take-up core 36 preferably operates in connection with asuitable anti-backup device to prevent clockspringing of the film rollin the cartridge. For a sound cartridge of the type disclosed herein itis preferred that the antibackup mechanism be disengageable to eliminateany clickingl noise that may. be associated with operation of such adevice. The anti-backup mechanism is preferably of the type disclosed inthe beforementioned copending patent .application filed in the name ofArchie J. Tucker and entitled Disengageable Anti-Backup Device for FilmCartridge, a portion of which is illustrated at 38 in FIG. 1. Theanti-backup mechanism may be disengaged automatically by a pin 39' inthe camera.

The take-up core 36 is driven through a friction clutch by a suitabledrive member 40 on the inner wall of the cartridge corhpartmentlZ of thecamera.

and to minimize any tendency of the inner convolution of the film rollto cinch on the boss provided for the v film supply roll to the supplychamber of the cartridge.

It is also known to provide a cut-out as shown at 46 along the edge ofthe film containing perforations 48 so that when the trailing endportion of the film reaches the film aperture 34 in the film cartridge,claw 16 simply travels through the cut-out 46 (as shown in FIG. 2) andtherefore is unable to further advance film through i the cartridge. Asa result, in cartridges such as shown in the beforementioned Edwards eta1. patents, the trailing endportion of the film remains accessible atthe exposure aperture so that it can be stripped from the film cartridgefor processing, etc. as referred to hereinbefore. However, in a soundtype film cartridge, continued operation of the camera mechanisms willeffect advancement of film through the exposure aperture due to the filmdrive provided by the capstan 20 and pressure roller 22. In accordancewith the present invention, stop means provided in the cartridgecooperate with the slot or opening 42 in the film to stop the filmbefore the trailing portion thereof is advanced through the exposureaperture by the capstan drive.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, the cartridge includes means defining afirst curved path for film between the exposure aperture and the capstandrive and a second curved film path between the exposure aperture andthe capstan drive. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the first film path is illustratedin phantom and is designated F-l. It extends along the inner surface ofwall 32 of the cartridge to the lower end of the wall and then extendsto the right along or above a film guide portion 50 of the cartridgeandinside of a finger 52 that projects upwardly from wall 28 across theopening defined by recess 24. When the cartridge is loaded in the cameraand the camera sound apparatus is engaged for filming and soundrecording operations, film path F-l extends over film loop sensor 29 andone guide 27, pressure member 6 25 and roller 22 as shown in FIG. 3.After the film leaves the capstan drive it passes through a light-tightopening in the cartridge, around a heart-shaped film snubber 54, andthen onto the roll of film wound around the film take-up core 36. Asshown in the corner of the cartridge at the bottom of edge wall 32, the1 portion of the film path varies in operation due to the intermittentmovement of film at the exposure aperture effected by claw l6 and thecontinuous movement of the film at aperture 24 effected by the capstandrive 20. As noted earlier, the size of this loop can be sensed by asensor 29 and operation of the film claw regulated (either by an on-offtype operation or by varying the speed of operation of the filmpull-down claw) so that the loop is maintained within a given range ofacceptable sizes which permit the capstan to operate continuously,thereby assuring high fidelity recording of sound on film.

The second film path is designated F-2 in FIGS 2 and 3 and is defined bythe surface of a wall portion of the film cartridge spaced from theinner surface of end wall 32 and the wall 50 at the cartridge. Thesecond film path is shorter than the firstfilm path. During operation ofthe camera the film typically travels along path F-2 only when the filmclaw l6 encounters the cut-out portion 46 of the film strip and when thecapstan 20 continues to advance film through the sound aperture 24 ofthe cartridge.

In order to stop the film when it travels along film path F-2, stopmeans in the form of a finger 56 in the cartridge projects into pathF-2. The finger is positioned laterally between the cartridge walls 26and 28 so that it will be aligned with the opening 42 in the film as thefilm is advanced along path F-2 by the capstan. The finger 56 projectstoward film path F-l and generally toward the corner of the cartridgedefined by the end wall 32 and by the bottom or open side of thecartridge. As shown in FIG. 7, the finger 56 is narrower than the widthof the opening 42 in the film strip, and

is not sharp along the leading surface 56a (FIG. 5)

thereof to minimize the possibility of tearing of the film strip. Also,the finger projects far enough below the wall 55 of the cartridge sothat it is in line with film path F-2 so that opening 42 is brought intoengagement with the finger by operation of the capstan. However, thefinger is spaced from path F-l so that it is not engaged by the filmduring filming operations, thereby avoidin possible scratching of thefilm.

Once the cartridge is loaded into the camera and the camera soundapparatus engaged as shownin FIG. 3, the film is advanced through thecartridge in the manner explained hereinbefore during normal filmingoperations so that the film typically occupies the film path F-l. Atthis time film is simultaneously being advanced intermittently by thepull-down claw 16 and in a continuous manner by the capstan 20 and thepressure roller 22. When the useful portion of the film has been exposedin the exposure aperture, the film claw 1.6 encounters the cut-outportion 46 of the film and intermittent advance of film by the claw isterminated. Continued operation of the capstan 20 brings the film fromthe path F-l into the path F-2 and then begins to effect,

movement of the film to the right as viewed in FIG. 3. This rapidlybrings the slot 42 in the film strip to the finger 56 and results in thefinger projecting through that aperture so that the surface 56a of thefinger is then engaged by the left edge of the slot (as viewed in FIG.6),

. or be released therefrom at that time since there is no longer anydrive acting on the film to advance it through the cartridge. When thecartridge is removed from the camera the anti-backing mechanism for core36 and the pressure on the film at aperture 34 normally are sufficientto prevent accidental movement of film in the cartridge until it reachesthe processing laboratory.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference topreferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variationsand modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of theinvention.

I claim:

1. In a cartridge for handling a. length of flexible strip materialwherein the material has a portion with an opening therein between sideedges of the material, the

cartridge comprising two adjacent walls having a cor-- ner therebetween,a first aperture located in one of said adjacent walls, a secondaperture located in the other of said adjacent walls, the first aperturebeing spaced from the second aperture, and the cartridge being usablewith apparatus having means engageable with the material in thecartridge through the apertures for advancing the material through thecartridge from the first aperture toward the second aperture, theimprovement comprising:

means in the cartridge between the apertures defining a space throughwhich strip material is advanced from the first aperture toward thesecond aperture along a first curved path, means in said space defininga second curved path spaced from the first path and along which thestrip material is advanced, the space defining means comprising spacedsurfaces at said corner of the cartridge, said second curved pathdefining means comprising one of said surfaces; and projecting stopmeans carried by one of said surfaces and located along the second pathin spaced relation to the first path so that the strip material isengageable with the stop means when the strip material is advanced alongthe second path, said stop means comprising a finger projecting fromsaid one of said surfaces toward said corner, the finger being narrowerthan the second path and being positioned relative to the second path sothat when the opening in the strip material is moved along the secondpath the finger can enter the opening and be engaged by an edge of theopening, thereby securing the strip material against further advancementalong the second path.

2. In a cartridge for handling a length of flexible film having atrailing end portion with an opening therein between side edges of thefilm, the film having perforations along one side edge thereof andhaving a cut-out in said side edge of said one end portion, thecartridge comprising two adjacent walls having a corner therebetween, afirst aperture located in one of said adjacent walls through which filmin the cartridge can be exposed to scene light, a second aperturelocated in the other of said adjacent walls, the first aperture beingspaced from the second aperture, and the cartridge being usable in acamera having (1) a claw engageable with film in the cartridge throughthe first aperture for intermittently advancing the film past the firstaperture and toward the second aperture and (2) a film drive engageablewith the film through the second aperture for continuously advancingfilm in the cartridge, the claw being ineffective to advance film in thecartridge when the cut-out in the film reaches the first aperture, theim- 3 provement comprising:

means at said corner of the cartridge defining a space between theapertures through which film is advanced from the first aperture towardthe second aperture along a first curved path, means in said spacedefining a second curved path that is shorter than the first path andalong which the strip material is advanced, the space defining meanscomprising spaced surfaces at said corner of the cartridge, said secondcurved path defining means comprising one of said surfaces; and

a finger projecting from one of said surfaces toward said corner andlocated along the second path in spaced relation to the first path sothat the film is engageable with the finger only when the film isadvanced along the second path, said finger l being positioned relativeto the side edges of the film as it advances along the second path and(2) having a width relative to the opening in the film so that when theopening in the film is moved along the second path the finger can enterthe opening and be engaged by an edge of the opening, thereby securingthe film against further advancement along I the second path.

1. In a cartridge for handling a length of flexible strip materialwherein the material has a portion with an opening therein between sideedges of the material, the cartridge comprising two adjacent wallshaving a corner therebetween, a first aperture located in one of saidadjacent walls, a second aperture located in the other of said adjacentwalls, the first aperture being spaced from the second aperture, and thecartridge being usable with apparatus having means engageable with thematerial in the cartridge through the apertures for advancing thematerial through the cartridge from the first aperture toward the secondaperture, the improvement comprising: means in the cartridge between theapertures defining a space through which strip material is advanced fromthe first aperture toward the second aperture along a first curved path,means in said space defining a second curved path spaced from the firstpath and along which the strip material is advanced, the space definingmeans comprising spaced surfaces at said corner of the cartridge, saidsecond curved path defining means comprising one of said surfaces; andprojecting stop means carried by one of said surfaces and located alongthe second path in spaced relation to the first path so that the stripmaterial is engageable with the stop means when the strip material isadvanced along the second path, said stop means comprising a fingerprojecting from said one of said surfaces toward said corner, the fingerbeing narrower than the second path and being positioned relative to thesecond path so that when the opening in the strip material is movedalong the second path the finger can enter the opening and be engaged byan edge of the opening, thereby securing the strip material againstfurther advancement along the second path.
 2. In a cartridge forhandling a length of flexible film having a trailing end portion with anopening therein between side edges of the film, the film havingperforations along one side edge thereof and having a cut-out in saidside edge of said one end portion, the cartridge comprising two adjacentwalls having a corner therebetween, a first aperture located in one ofsaid adjacent walls through which film in the cartridge can be exposedto scene light, a second aperture located in the other of said adjacentwalls, the first aperture being spaced from the second aperture, and thecartridge being usable in a camera having (1) a claw engageable withfilm in the cartridge through the first aperture for intermittentlyadvancing the film past the first aperture and toward the secondaperture and (2) a film drive engageable with the film through thesecond aperture for continuously advancing film in the cartridge, theclaw being ineffective to advance film in the cartridge when the cut-outin the film reaches the first aperture, the improvement comprising:means at said corner of the cartridge defining a space between theapertures through which film is advanced from the first aperture towardthe second aperture along a first curved path, means in said spacedefining a second curved path that is shorter than the first path andalong which the strip material is advancEd, the space defining meanscomprising spaced surfaces at said corner of the cartridge, said secondcurved path defining means comprising one of said surfaces; and a fingerprojecting from one of said surfaces toward said corner and locatedalong the second path in spaced relation to the first path so that thefilm is engageable with the finger only when the film is advanced alongthe second path, said finger (1) being positioned relative to the sideedges of the film as it advances along the second path and (2) having awidth relative to the opening in the film so that when the opening inthe film is moved along the second path the finger can enter the openingand be engaged by an edge of the opening, thereby securing the filmagainst further advancement along the second path.